Breaking the Habit
by ChibiJaime
Summary: Sequel to "Eyes Wide Shut". Raphael bites off a little more than he can chew with the Purple Dragons, and it may cost one of his brothers their life... UNFINISHED


-/Everyone wanted to know whether or not Donatello ever regained the ability to walk... so in this story, which is actually Raphael-centric, you find out! 

_Mostly, the story was based around a really old fic challenge someone had written into one of THEIR fics... that is, a story that centers around one turtle and features a never-before-used original character. There were other stipulations to it, but I forget what they were... I think it may have been a life-threatening situation, caused by the personality quirk of one of the Turtles involved._

_To everyone who read and reviewed "Eyes Wide Shut," I thank you all for making it my most popular piece of work on !_

_For the record, if you have not read "Eyes Wide Shut," this might be a little confusing around the very beginning and toward the end. It's not necessary to know the back story, but it might be helpful. ;3 This is only the second in a series of stories I'm going to be writing that follow "Eyes Wide Shut"... think of it as sort of being my own personal "season" of TMNT. X3/-_

* * *

Ya evah just KNOWN you're gonna have one'a those days? You know th' kind... Th' ones where ya find yerself just wishin' ya hadn't gotten up.

Well, I'm havin' one'a those days. I was just out on a routine nightly patrol, and I find some'a those Purple Dragon goons roughin' up some Italian girl. Now, you know me... neva one ta pass up a fight. Stupid idea t'night, I guess.

So now, I'm hurt and this girl's tryin' ta help me out... and I gotta find SOME way ta pay 'er back. Looks like I'm playin' bodyguard in one of the worst situations I've been in in a while.  
This is the worst night I've had in a LONG time.

**Breaking the Habit  
-Part 1: What We Don't-**

It probably would have been a quiet night... the sort of night Raphael very much enjoyed and hoped for, mostly because it did not involve too much trouble with the humans that they never interacted with. It involved a great deal of stealth and a lot of exercise. He didn't want to be back in the lair... Leonardo was busy, helping Donatello on the slow recovery following his injury nearly two months prior. The brainy turtle was still suffering, unable to really walk more than a few small steps... it was slow going, but an improvement nonetheless.

Raphael was certain that Donatello would make a full recovery. His purple-clad brother just had to remind himself of that.

At the moment, the back of Raphael's mind screamed for a good fight to take his mind off the events at hand, even though he doubted he would find one on such a quiet night.

Or would he?

One rooftop to the other. As he landed on the next one, a scream caught his attention. He glanced over the side of the roof. The Purple Dragons, go figure. One, far more well-dressed than the others, was yelling back and forth with a woman they had cornered.

"Siete il nostro, ragazza...!" the man growled.

The expression on the girl's face registered one that Raphael was quite familiar with... pure, unadultered rage. "Sopra il mio corpo guasto, bastardo!"

Were they speaking in Italian? From what he could tell where he was standing, however, these men wanted the girl to go with them... and she was very far from willing. There was more yelling in Italian until two of the men grabbed the girl's arm, resulting in a string of very colorful words from her that were NOT in Italian.

Raphael decided that it was time to drop in and crash the party.

As the girl struggled against her captors, Raphael took the opportunity to drop down on a couple of thugs in the back. Easy pickings. The next two went down with a little more difficulty, but he managed. By this time, he had attracted some attention, and he glanced up slightly at the eyes that were on him. The girl was staring at him in shock, her dark eyes wide, jaw agape. The well-suited man growled. "It's one of those fighting freaks... don't kill it. The boss wants it alive."  
The girl's face went from anger to worry as she watched Raphael, who wasn't about ready to back down. "Are you stupid?!" So she did speak English... and it was thick with that New York accent he had spent his life hearing (and developing himself). "Get th' hell outta here! Don't know what the hell you are, but do you want them ta--..."

Her words were cut short as one of the men cracked the back of his hand across the girl's cheek. "Shaddup!"

Raphael's eyes almost instantly narrowed. "Bad move, asswipe... that ain't no way ta treat a lady!"

He didn't wait for any further provocation, or any words to set him off. Growling, he lunged forward, clotheslining one of the men instead. He felt something crack against his shell... a chain, most likely... just another crack to mar the surface. He didn't feel too much pain from it... just a surface crack.

Without looking back, he spun, bringing up one foot to nail the one who had dared strike him in the back with a well-placed heel to the jaw.

He didn't pay attention to anything. Not the cuts the switchblades made, or the bruises and welts that pipes, chains, and rope raised. It was only as the assailants retreated that he realized the extent of his injuries. Blood ran down his arms, and his entire body ached from the beating the thugs had at least tried to give him. There must have been more of them than he thought.

"Il mio dio!" the girl cried from where she was pressed back against the wall. "If I didn't know betta, I'd say I was dreamin'!"

Raphael grumbled, stumbling towards a manhole cover to head home. "Hell, I wish you were dreamin', lady. Then I wouldn't feel like I just got railed by a subway car."

Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms tightly. "You didn't hafta do that, ya know... I coulda handled those guys."

Raphael's shoulders stiffened, and slowly, he turned to face the girl. "...I just about got my shell waxed ta save your scrawny ass and you tell me you coulda taken 'em out?! Somehow, sistah, I doubt that!"

"I had everything undah control!"

"Not from where I was standin'!"

Raphael suddenly felt like he was right back in the lair with his brothers... particularly with Leonardo. This girl, however, reminded him more of himself than anyone... the way she glared at him with defiant eyes, fists clenched in a fight-ready pose and posture self-assured... and that concerned him. He growled, clenching his fists at his sides. "Look, lady... ya wanna get kidnapped, that's fine by me, but you could at least show a little gratitude ta th' guy who just risked his tail for ya! Dyin' ain't high on my 'ta-do' list t'night!"

Frowning, the Italian girl stepped over to him, hands on her hips as she glared down at him. "Oh, I'm gonna show my gratitude all right!" Raphael braced himself. He doubted very much that the girl could hurt him, but he knew how some women were. Instead of a blow, however, he watched in hidden surprise as she extended her hand. "C'mon... giant turtle or not, I figure if I'm dreamin', I gotta wake up sometime... so might as well do the good samaritan thing, right?" When Raphael only fixed her with a puzzled gaze, the girl rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna dress yer wounds... so they don't get infected, y'know?"

The turtle appeared surprised, but only for a moment. This was a better reaction than they had gotten from April during their first meeting. After giving a grumpy little noise of acknowledgement, he slowly limped along behind the girl. "After bein' attacked by those thugs, you TRUST me?"

"Papa always taught me that if someone helps ya, ya help 'em back... I figure if ya took out those thugs, you hafta have some shred'a decency." She smiled over her shoulder at him. "By the way, th' name's Letizia Moretti... but I prefer Lorraine. Lori."

"Raphael," came the short response.

Lorraine rolled her eyes, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jacket as she stalked along. "Talkative, arencha?" She puffed her hair out of her face, pausing near a ladder. "This fire escape leads up to my place. Go on up, I'll meet you there. It's on the third floor."

The turtle raised his brow. "How do I know y'ain't gonna kill me?"

She just shrugged as she headed around the corner, keys already in her hand. "Well, it's either you trust me or you let your arms keep bleeding. Hurry up, too... my brother may drop in... and he'd be more than a little bit surprised to see a giant turtle in my living room!"

Raphael gave a short smirk, shaking his head as the girl disappeared from view. As he made his way up the fire escape, he gave a short grumble... he was in a lot of pain. He hadn't really expected quite that much of a beating. The Dragons must have been practicing.

He stood for a moment at the window to the apartment before Lorraine finally pulled it open, helping him inside. "It's not much, but can I offer you anything to eat? I got pasta... mostly Italian food."

"Not hungry, but thanks," Raphael mumbled as he looked around. "...Nice place y'got. Ain't ya a little young ta be on your own, though?"

She just shrugged slightly as she rumaged around in a chest near an old couch. "I'm 16... I'm old enough, but y'see, there's more to it than that. Papa pays for me to stay here so that I'm away from home. The Purple Dragons are tryin' ta get Papa ta pay 'em for somethin', but he doesn't know what, and they keep threatenin' ta hurt me. He doesn't understand much English, Papa doesn't... but he knows what 'kidnap' and 'hurt' mean."

"And you don't have bodyguards or nothin'?"

At that, Lorraine wrinkled up her nose, folding her arms indignantly. "Hell no. I can take care of myself just fine."

Raphael winced, both from the comment and the antisceptic she had started to apply to his wounds. "You think you're a real tough cookie, doncha?"

"I do kickboxing," the girl answered smugly. "I ain't weak... not by any far stretch." Frowning, she gripped his wrist, casting him a frustrated glance. "Hold still, will ya?"

The red-clad turtle made a face, shifting where he sat. "Whataya expect me ta do? That hurts!"  
Rolling her eyes, Lorraine continued with what she was doing. "Men are such babies..."

"Hey! You try gettin' yer arms cut up by a buncha angry thugs and see how YOU like it, brat."

"Whatever, green boy. You're too stubborn fer this t'be a dream..."

"Whatever... hmph. Show's what I get fer helpin'..."

* * *

It was late when Raphael finally returned to the lair. Later than he had meant to be, anyway. Despite how hard he had been on the Italian girl, he hadn't particularly wanted to leave her alone, what with the threat of the Purple Dragons attacking again.

Then again, he couldn't exactly take her home with him. Leonardo would've had his shell and then some.

He didn't even have time to retreat to his room for a much-needed rest when he finally slipped in. Leonardo was standing in the center of the training area, eyes fixed on his younger brother, expression reading a mixture of annoyance and concern. "Where have you been, Raphael?"

"Out. Why the hell is it such a big deal?"

"Your arms are bandaged. What happened out there? Were you seen?"

Shit. "It was nothin'. Some girl was gettin' mugged by some Purple Dragons, so I roughed 'em up. Taught them not t'mess with the mean and green." Raphael folded his arms, ignoring the searing pain that shot through them at the movement. "You got a problem with that?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," was Leonardo's response. "Master Splinter told us NOT to leave the lair today, and you directly disobeyed that."

Raphael bristled almost instantly. "Look, Splinter Jr., I got my own agenda. I respect our sensei too, but if I need some air, I need some air."

Defensively, Leonardo straightened, his eyes narrowing. "There's a difference between 'getting some air' and 'getting your shell shellacked', Raph. You could have been seriously injured, or worse, killed." His expression softened somewhat, and in the back of his mind, Raphael felt some amount of guilt. It wasn't like Leonardo purposefully singled him out, after all... it just felt like it a lot of the time. "I worry about you just as much as I do Mikey and Don. When you get hurt, I can't help but feel at fault... like I've done something to set you off again."

"...Leo, don't worry about it. I can take care of myself out there, okay?"

He didn't wait for a response. He simply turned and headed to his room, only stopping when he heard a sound of surprise from Leonardo. "Raph, what in the world happened to your shell?! You've got a crack in it as long as my arm!"

He had totally forgotten about that... "...It's nothin'. Surface crack, like the rest of 'em. Some muscle-bound jackass cracked me with a heavy chain, that's all."

"Geez, at least let Don look at it! What if that's serious?"

"If it was a serious break, bro... I'd be dead. It's just one more break I have. I ain't the one to worry about."

Once again, he headed off without waiting for Leonardo to say anything. The blue-clad turtle sighed as he watched his brother disappear into his room, shaking his head as he allowed his shoulders to slouch just a little to release the tension. "God... he's gonna get himself killed one of these days..."

"Dealing with the hothead didn't go as well as you thought?"

"Not even remotely."

The youngest turtle raised his brow, cocking his head a little to the side as he stepped out into the main training room. He was swinging one of his nunchaku, hinting to Leonardo that he was heading for the practice dummy. "What happened to him?"

"He got into a fight with the Purple Dragons," was the response. "They were mugging some girl."  
Michelangelo grinned, flipping out his other nunchaku as he ran through a kata. "That's Raph for ya. Always had a soft spot for the ladies."

"Soft spot or no, his temper is going to get him killed." He sighed, walking towards his brother. "How about a spar, Mikey? I need to get my mind off this."

"Okay. But try not to mop the floor with me too badly! I got a reputation to uphold!"

* * *

The next morning, Raphael somehow managed to slip out before Leonardo was up. He knew the katana weilder would not be happy when he found his brother gone, but he didn't particularly care. He wanted to make absolutely certain that the girl hadn't been attacked sometime during the night.

Everything seemed peaceful when he arrived at the top of the fire escape. Lorraine had fallen asleep watching TV on her couch and thankfully wasn't even aware of her shell-backed bodyguard sitting on the fire escape outside. An hour or so passed, and he must have dozed off, before he felt someone tap the top of his head. Instantly alert, he jumped to his feet, ready to draw his sai when he heard someone giggling. Lorraine was standing there, hair in a messy bun as she grinned down at him. "Hey there, hothead. You come to keep an eye on me?"

"You bet, smart-alec. Y'can't take care of ye'self all by yer lonesome."

The girl rolled her eyes, smirking. "Sure, sure. C'mon in, I'm gonna get breakfast ready."

"Breakfast?" The third voice surprised both of the two at the fire escape. "Mind if I come too?"

Raphael groaned, then leaned over the fire escape. "You little...! Mikey, did you follow me here?!"

The youngest turtle grinned playfully, tilting his head this way and that. "You could say that... I wanted to meet your girlfriend." He waved at Lorraine, who seemed to be trying to figure out if she should be totally shocked or utterly amused. "Hiya, lady!"

Finally, Lorraine couldn't help but smile. "Hey there!" She giggled, glancing at Raphael. "Friend of yours?"

"Baby brother, actually. He's a pain in the shell."

She smiled a little, actually looking a little smug. "I know what bein' the baby's like." Then, her attention turned back to Michelangelo on the ground. "Come on up, bambino! I can make enough for three people!"

"Bambino..." Mikey mused as he started to ascend the ladder. "What's that?"

Lorraine just grinned. "It means 'baby'. My brother Dominico calls me that... or sorella, depending on whether he's mad at me or not. All the others just call me bambino."

Raphael rolled his eyes as the two spoke. It was like peas in a pod... the babies were always the ones who got out of and STAYED out of trouble, by the sheer default of being themselves. He didn't relate... but he knew one thing sounded familiar. Her brother Dominico was just as protective over her as he was over Michelangelo. "How many siblings do you GOT?"

"Eight."

Both of the turtles gawked at her for a moment. Lorraine just smiled and shrugged, leading the pair to the kitchen.

Conversation had stopped for the time being, however, as Michelangelo watched the girl cook. She smiled playfully, tilting her head to one side. "I hope you guys like Italian food. It's all I can really cook."

Instantly, Michelangelo's face lit up. "Italian food?! Lady, you're now officially my hero! We don't get Italian often... aside from pizza."

"Well, pizza isn't REAL Italian," Lorraine chuckled with a grin. She pointed at what she was making. "These are crabmeat frittatas. Kinda like omelets, only MUCH better."

The rest of the morning proceeded slowly, but quietly. Michelangelo was plenty impressed enough with Lorraine's cooking, and Raphael was content to keep an eye on both of them. Things seemed to be moving along well enough.

However, in some situations, nothing EVER goes as planned. That time just happened to be one of them.

* * *

For a few days, things had gone rather similarly. In the early morning, Raphael and Michelangelo would show up at Lorraine's apartment, waiting on the fire escape until the Italian girl was awake. She would invite them in for breakfast, and concern for the girl would be expressed. That day had started no differently.

Raphael had left Lorraine's place sometime in the early afternoon, leaving Michelangelo to keep an eye on her until he returned. He had intended to take care of some issues at the lair, namely at least letting Donatello know Michelangelo wasn't alone and hurt somewhere, before returning.  
As it was, it was more to get away from the babies discussing their respective issues (with Michelangelo being the youngest of four, and Lorraine of nine) with elder siblings than anything else.

He had not expected to return to find what he did. There were broken windows, and the door was destroyed. Glass and furniture lay askew around the small apartment, with small patches of blood... and in the midst of the mess, Lorraine's jacket and one of Michelangelo's nunchaku.  
"Mikey?!" the red-clad brother shouted. "Lori!" He spun once, barely managing to avoid stepping on some broken glass. "Michelangelo! Where are you?! Lorraine, this ain't funny!"

No response. Instantly, his eyes narrowed. It had to have been the Purple Dragons. Lorraine had mentioned them threatening her father.

He knew where they were stationed... he had to get them out!

* * *

"Y'bastards won't get away with this! Just wait! When my friend gets here, he'll rip you apart!"

The Purple Dragon guarding the cage where the young Italian woman sat next to Michelangelo twitched in annoyance. How much longer did he have to put up with this?

His orders were to refrain from harming the girl or the turtle. That was hard enough with all the yelling the girl did... and the turtle wasn't much trouble. With his injuries, he was hardly moving.  
Lorraine didn't particularly care. Most of her anger had really subsided, especially after she had finally seen the extent of Michelangelo's injuries. Part of her pants had been ripped off from the legs, used to bandage some minor cuts on her reptilian friend's arm. She hadn't been able to patch the more serious wounds, and his expression was so distant that she worried he was in shock. The Italian girl forced a weak smile. "Hey, bambino, cheer up. Raph'll spring us. I might not'a known 'im long, but he'll at least come for you."

Michelangelo didn't look up at first, but after a moment, his eyes shifted to the black-haired woman. "...No, he won't. Maybe Leo or Don, when they realize I'm missing, but Raph..."

A frown forced its way past on Lorraine's face as she gave a defeated sigh. "Don't think like that, Mikey. All big brothers care about their little siblings... trust me, he'll come." She scooted over to sit next to the injured turtle, tearing off another part of her pants leg to lightly swab at a bleeding cut on his face. "Just keep y'head up, okay?"

He nodded slightly, barely wincing at the movement against the sore cut. For a few moments, neither spoke, listening to a sharp voice in Italian. After a bit more, Michelangelo spoke again. "What're they saying?"

"It's Italian," Lorraine responded. "From what I can hear, they're talkin' ta Papa on the phone... sounds like they're negotiatin'."

"...Sorry I couldn't keep ya outta this mess."

"Don't worry about it, bambino. Ain't your fault."

Both of the two fell silent for a moment until Michelangelo groaned, although he tried to hide it. Lorraine winced, her hands closing around the bars of the cage-like cell where they sat. They had to get out of there... she didn't know how much longer Michelangelo could hold out without medical attention!

Sighing, the Italian girl rested her forehead against the bars. This was most definitely not her day.

* * *

"You should've told us earlier, Raph. We could've done something before things escalated this far."

Raphael's shoulders tensed at the mild berating he was getting from Leonardo. He had gone through much worse from his older brother, but the fact remained the same. He was being scolded for a mistake that had cost them one of their own.

"Leo, I ain't in the mood. Right now, we gotta get in there, get Mikey and Lori, and get out." Here, he paused, slamming one fist into the palm of his other hand. "On second thought, you can lead Mikey and Lori out. I intend ta rearrange some faces for messin' with my family."

To this, Leonardo shook his head. "We can't make a scene, Raphael. That's too much of a risk to Mike and your friend."

"Then what do you expect me to do?! Sit here on my ass and wait until those bastards kill 'em?!"

After taking a deep indrawn breath, Leonardo slowly folded his arms, keeping his gaze steadily focused on Raphael. "I never said that, Raph," he stated calmly. "However, we need a plan before we go rushing into things. If we move too quickly, they WILL do something to Mikey and Lorraine. I agree, inaction is the worst sort of action... but we can't be rash." He raised a hand to rest on his brother's shoulder, doing his best to try not to set him off. "Please. Just this once, hear me out, bro."

Raphael tensed and nearly raised his hand to strike away his brother's offending offer of concern, but in the end, he thought better of it. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, glaring at Leonardo as he spat out, "Fine. But that doesn't mean I hafta like this plan'a yours."

"Thank you. Now... let's think of a way to get them out of there. Together. We're gonna need Don's brains for this one..."

* * *

"I still think it's a bad idea," Donatello sighed as he watched his brothers board the ShellCycles, "rushing in without really knowing what you're dealing with."

Raphael shrugged, pulling on his helmet. "There's two Italians with the Purple Dragons, but seriously... they're a couple'a suits. Nothin' Leo can't handle, and if he gets in over his head, I can save 'im."

The brainiac sighed. "Fine, fine, if you say so. If you need any help, though, contact me via the ShellCell. Things might get rough in there, and you may need help."

"You just worry about resting right now, Don," instructed Leonardo. "Your legs still aren't up to speed, and we can't risk you getting seriously hurt again."

The purple-clad turtle flinched visibly at the slight berating, having been upset about everything that had happened anyway. He couldn't help... he was totally worthless in this situation.  
Raphael cast a rather frustrated glare at his older brother, then sighed, grinning at Donatello. "Don't worry, Donny. If we need help, we'll be sure to get in touch."

The two older turtles each raised a hand, then took off out of the warehouse. Donatello gave a tired sigh, making a slow path back to the elevator back into the lair. He had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling.

* * *

The warehouse was quiet when Raphael and Leonardo finally arrived. They had abandoned the ShellCycles three blocks before and made the rest of the journey on foot, but by the heavy security around this place, they at least had no trouble identifying the location.

"We'll split up here," Leonardo instructed his brother quietly. "If you find anything, get ahold of me as soon as you can. I'll do the same."

Raphael nodded. "Gotcha. Don' getcha self hurt in there, Leo."

"Same to you, Raph."

A moment passed as the two regarded each other before they split ways, Raphael heading for the roof and Leonardo heading for a ground entrance. They had to move quickly... they didn't know how long their brother and Raphael's new friend would stay safe.

Raphael was the first to find an entrance, dropping through a ceiling light to a quiet landing behind a pile of boxes. He could hear voices nearby, and one of them he recognized as Lorraine.

Slowly, carefully, he crept around the boxes towards the source of the voice.

When he peered around the corner, he stared in surprise at what he found. There was Lorraine, talking to Michelangelo, trying to keep him awake. Both of them were in a cage, but where Lorraine looked to have sustained only very minor injuries, Michelangelo looked badly injured.  
His eyes narrowed, but he knew he had to stay out of sight. So he waited until he felt the moment was finally perfect. The Dragons were changing guard.

Perfect.

His movements were quick and precise. He took out both of them with very little sound, and was at the side of the cage with a hand over Lorraine's mouth before she could exclaim her surprise at seeing him. "Shhhhh," he ordered. "I'm here t'get you two outta heah." Carefully, he slipped the longest prong of his sai into the lock, snapping it open with one swift jerk downward. After he had Lorraine out, he crawled in, helping Michelangelo exit as well. "C'mon. Let's go find Leo and get the hell out!"

* * *

In the meanwhile, Leonardo was having problems of his own. Cornered in a hallway, he was blocked on either side by the 'suits' Raphael had mentioned earlier. Even though both of them were Purple Dragons, something told the blue-clad turtle that these were not like any foe he had faced thus far.

Frowning, he drew his katana, ready to fight his way out of the mess he had gotten into. "All right," he growled. "Who's first?"

The two Italians regarded each other, then, without second thought, lunged. They attacked at once, catching Leonardo off-guard, the strike from one sending him flying right into a blow from the other. And the strikes didn't stop, either.

They were FAR more skilled than he expected. He was rather disappointed in himself for underestimating them at first, but it was not a mistake he was going to make again.  
First things first, though... he needed to regain an advantage before they completely mopped the floor with his shell.

"Make this quick," one of them growled to his companion as Leonardo slumped against the wall, trying to catch his breath. "The boss said the Moretti girl and the other freak escaped, and one of the other freaks helped."

"Hmph. Place's crawlin' with these turtle-things. We'll finish up here and take this one to 'im... seein' this one hurt should cool their heads."

A thought shot into Leonardo's head. "The boss" was probably Hun, and he knew Raphael didn't stand a chance against him alone. Perhaps.

He didn't wait a second longer. He rushed forward, katana drew back for the strike, with a shout.

The first Italian that spoke wasted no time. He spun, fist connecting sharply with Leonardo's jaw before his foot came up with a quick, precise strike to his chest.

The turtle gave a short groan as he fell back, landing hard on the cold floor. The two Italians grinned. They had their leverage.

* * *

"Raph, he ain't doin' so good," Lorraine pleaded quietly as the trio moved down a long corridor. She gently pressed a hand to Michelangelo's forehead. "I know you boys are cold blooded, but... I d'no, he seems so much colder..."

Raphael tensed, but at first didn't speak. He readjusted how he was helping his brother walk, hand tightening on Michelangelo's wrist. "He's gonna be fine. Stop worryin' so much."

The girl gave a weary sigh, but quieted. She was just happy to be out of that cage, but now her concern for Michelangelo was outweighing that. Shaking her head, she went to turn a corner... and nearly shrieked as she stumbled backwards.

"What, what is it?" Raphael at first couldn't understand her shock and sudden fear... until he looked up - WAY up - at Hun, who stood towering over them with his arms crossed, a wicked grin on his face. "You!"

"Hello, Signorina Moretti." The hulking man chuckled lowly, tilting his head to one side as his gaze shifted first to Raphael and Michelangelo and then back to her. "Leaving so soon? And here I thought we were being so hospitable to you." His expression turned dark... he was not a patient man, after all, and what patience he had had already been tried. "Your two friends are going to be taken to my superior... and while I wait for your father to pay us a pretty penny for your safe return, a team of scientists is going to be determining just what they are." At Lorraine and Raphael's horrified expressions, he laughed heartily. "Don't worry. Consider it a donation to the scientific world!"

Gently, Raphael rested his inert brother against the wall, growling up at the mountain of muscle that was Hun. "You won't be touchin' Mikey OR Lorraine, pal! And I'll make sure'a that!" Frowning, he pulled his sai, shifting to a fighting stance as he glared up at the huge brute. "So just back off! Got it?"

Hun frowned. He didn't have time for this... however, he didn't have time to make a move. One of the two Italians slipped around, stating loudly. "Got 'im."

For a moment, Hun just stared at him. Then, he grinned. "Good. Toss him out here. He'll make a fine example."

The Italian man grinned, disappearing around the corner before a loud grunt was heard, and Leonardo's limp form was tossed into the hallway. He landed hard on his plastron, laying unmoving once he had come to a stop. Raphael nearly lunged forward, shouting his brother's name, but he stopped in his tracks when Hun's foot came to rest on Leonardo's shell. Raphael growled. "You sorry sunuvabitch... get away from my brother!"

"I think not," Hun chuckled lowly. "You have your choice, right here... both of you come quietly with me... or I crush him like a bug I stand!"

**-To Be Continued...-**


End file.
